Lost and Found
by PrettyLittleWreck
Summary: Danny finds Danielle captured and locked away by a group of people who capture and experiment on ghosts. When he takes her back to his family and lets her become part of it, will Danielle stay, or run again? Hopefully better than it sounds. Rated because I'm paranoid.
1. Chapter 1

Lost and Found

**Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom or the characters! The only thing I own is the plot. Sorry if it sucks I just think Danny and Dani should be closer as cousins and in my story they're more like big brother and little sister. Also, everyone knows Danny Fenton is Danny Phantom. The story is written in Danny's pov and the characters act ooc. Anyways, hope you guys enjoy!**

Chapter 1: Straightjackets and Blindfolds

It was a normal day at first. Then I got a call saying there was a group of people who captured ghosts and kept them locked up. The Guys in White had taken the people, but it was my job to release the ghosts back into the Ghost Zone. I flew over to the address I was given and went inside. A bunch of ghosts were in cages, one including the Box Ghost and some others I knew. I pulled them all into the Fenton Thermos, planning to put them in the Ghost Zone later. I didn't see any more cages and was about to leave, but then I saw an open notebook on a table.

_Subject seems to be able to change its appearance. Today I can see its hair turning black. It has gone for eight days without food or drink and is still doing fine. I wonder how long until it starves to death. It seems to dislike the basement and tried to escape, but we put a stop to that. Its smart enough to move away if we enter the room. It will not try to escape again, I am sure…_

That was all that was written, and I found my curiosity growing. Apparently, they had a ghost locked in the basement. I went down to the basement and got ready to fight if needed. Turns out, it wasn't. What I found was the small form of a ghost cowering in the corner, strapped in a straightjacket and with something tied around their eyes so they couldn't see. Their head was tilted slightly to the side and they were pale-paler than they should've been. I gasped when I recognized the ghost. Danielle. I was at her side in an instant. Hearing me but not seeing me, she pressed herself against the corner and whimpered. I quickly pulled the blindfold off and took her in. I could tell she was exhausted and ready to change out of her ghost form-her silver hair was turning black in some places and her left eye was green while her right had turned the normal sky blue. I took her out of the straightjacket and pulled her against my chest. She looked up at me. There were dark circles under her eyes.

"G'day Danny." She mumbled weakly. I picked her up bridal style and carried her out of the dark basement. I frowned when I felt how alarmingly light she was. She had lost a lot of weight-she now weighed about 73 pounds-and I remembered that the notebook had said they hadn't fed her for eight days. Her stiff body went limp in my arms and her silver hair turned completely black. Her head fell against my chest and she lost consciousness. Her skin was still an unhealthy white color and her skin was ice-cold. Bruises blossomed on her jawline and there was a large gash on her forehead. Her outfit had changed from its usual beanie, jeans, and baggy t-shirt to a pair of skinny jeans with the right pant leg a red and the left a black with a red tank-top with a black leather trench coat. Her beanie was gone and her hair had fallen out of its normal pony tail. Her sneakers had been replaced by worn out combat boots. It was hard to belief that it had been two years since I'd seen my clone-considered-cousin. I finally got to my house and flew into my bedroom. I gently laid Dani down on my bed and started checking for wounds. Once her trench coat was off, I could see that her pale arms were covered in bruises and cuts. I felt anger boil in the pit of my stomach. They dared hurt Dani, _my_ Dani? It was a good thing the Guys in White had them, because they'd be dealing with me if I could get to them. I texted Sam and Tuck, telling them that it was urgent and I needed them and I would explain when they got here. Minutes later, my best friend and girlfriend burst into my room.

"Danny, what's wrong?" Sam asked. Her eyes landed on Dani. I explained everything that happened and Sam went over to Dani, picked her head up, sat down on the bed, and set Dani's head in her lap. Sam brushed Dani's hair away from her face and began rubbing circles in the younger girl's temples.

"She's like ice." She looked up and locked eyes with me. I sighed.

"I know. I don't know what to do. She'll freak out if she wakes up in the healing center surrounded by my parents."

"But we don't know how to take care of her by ourselves." Sam pointed out.

"Dude, how are you gonna explain her to her parents? And when did she change so much? Last time we saw her, she was wearing baggy clothes and a beanie. Now she's wearing multi-colored jeans and tight tank-tops." Tuck said.

"You should've seen her in her trench coat. It goes down to her knees and is all leather." I ran a tired hand over my eyes.

"Dani's seriously injured and you two are focused on how her fashion sense changed?" Sam asked, clearly annoyed.

"Sorry." We muttered at the same time.

"We should at least get Jazz. She'll know what to do." Tuck said. I nodded and ran to my sister's room.

"Jazz, I need your help." I said and Jazz followed me back to my room. I explained everything and Jazz walked over to the still unconscious Dani.

"Do you know how long those creeps have had her?" Jazz asked.

"In a journal I found and was reading it said they'd gone eight days without giving her food or water so I'm guessing longer than that." I shrugged.

"Eight days without food or water? You're lucky she's still alive." Jazz commented.

"I know. So how do we help her?"

"Let her rest and as soon as she wakes up, get her something to eat. Sam, Tucker, you should probably go. If she wakes up surrounded, she may feel trapped and panic. Danny, you stay with her. We'll be downstairs if you need us." Jazz promised and pulled Tuck out of the room. Sam carefully set Dani back against the pillows and brushed her hair back one more time. Then she came up and planted a soft kiss on my cheek before following Tuck and Jazz downstairs. I walked over to my cousin and stared down at her bruised face. I stayed there for what seemed like forever, sitting at the foot of my bed and waiting for Dani to wake up. She finally did, slowly opening her eyes in slits. Then her eyes flashed open and went wide in fear and she sat bolt upright. I caught her shoulders and held her.

"Calm down, Dani, you're safe." I said softly. She blinked several times, as though she was confused.

"Danny? Where am I?" her voice was hoarse and quiet. I ran my fingers through her hair. Despite the weeks and days it hadn't been brushed or washed, it was still insanely soft.

"It's alright, Dani, you're with me." I pulled her close and cradled her against my chest. I hadn't seen her in two years and now I got to see her beaten and bruised. It wasn't exactly the way I'd planned on meeting her again. But one thing was for sure; there was no way in Hell I was letting her go again. She buried her face in my shoulder.

"Everything hurts." Her words were muffled by my shirt, but I could still understand her.

"Shh. It'll be ok, Bunny. I'm here now." I had started calling her Bunny the first time I met her, when I'd felt how soft her hair was for the first time. It was seriously as soft as a rabbit's fur.

"How long ago were you captured?" I asked.

"Two, three weeks. I dunno. I couldn't keep track of time down in the basement." She pressed herself closer to me.

"It was terrifying, Danny. I was so scared I could hear them coming in but I couldn't see them and then I'd feel pain. And I couldn't move or escape." She sobbed and I tightened my grip on her.

"It's ok, Bunny. I'll protect you." I promised and she smiled up at me. Her smile had always been cocky, sort of lopsided and mischievous. And her grin was plain scary, with a wickedness hidden just behind the innocence she put into it.

"I missed you Danny." She snuggled into my chest and I rested my head on hers. Her hair tickled my cheek.

"I missed you too, Bunny." I murmured. I held her in my arms until she fell asleep again, and then lay her down on the bed and went to join my sister and friends.


	2. Chapter 2

Lost and Found

**Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom or the characters! I also don't own any of the movies mentioned. Sorry it took so long to update-I'll try to be quicker next time. So here's the second chapter. Hope you guys enjoy!**

Chapter 2: Explanations

"Is she awake?" Sam looked up as I walked in. I shook my head.

"No. She's still sleeping." I responded, grabbing a cub and pouring water into it before sitting next to Sam at the bar.

"How long till your parents find her?" Tuck asked. I sighed. That was the last thing I wanted to think about.

"Hopefully a while. I at least want her to be awake."

"Well I think I'll make her some food for when she wakes up. You should stay up there till she does." Jazz stood up and moved around the kitchen, preparing food. I rolled my eyes. Jazz's mom mode had kicked in. Tuck apologized and said he had to go home, but Sam stayed and came back upstairs with me to check on Dani. She was lying curled up on her side, hair spread out around her head like a dark halo. She opened her eyes and looked at us when we walked in, then gave a Cheshire cat grin and sat up.

"G'day Sam, Danny." Her eyes sparkled with mischief and humor.

"Hey, Dani." Sam walked over and sat beside the younger girl.

"So you two finally got together?" she asked happily. I rolled my eyes and felt heat rise to my cheeks.

"Dani." I scolded. She smiled innocently. Right at that moment, my mom decided to barge into my room. I froze, and Dani stiffened. Sam wrapped an arm around her shoulders. My mom looked to me, to Sam, to Dani.

"Danny, who is that?" she asked finally. I glanced at Sam and my cousin before speaking.

"That's Danielle. She's my clone, made by Vlad, but she's more like family now." I said slowly, thinking about every word.

"Clone? But she's a girl, and she's younger than you."

"I know. Vlad's not exactly the best scientist. She's two years younger than me, so she's fourteen." My mom's eyes landed on my cousin and stayed there. Dani's hands were clenched into fists and she was stiff and tense, ready to bolt at any second. There was a long silence, in which Sam and I stared at each other in worry, Dani stared at the floor, and my mom stared at Dani.

"Hello, Danielle." My mom said finally.

"G'day." Danielle said weakly in return.

"Are you a half-ghost, too?" Dani's eyes flicked to me, questioningly, and I gave a short nod. She gazed at my mom.

"Yeah, I am."

"Do you have anywhere to live?"

"Not at this moment." My mom looked thoughtful, and then nodded, as though she had come to a decision.

"Then welcome home, Danielle." She smiled at Dani and I stared at her in surprise before smiling.

"Thanks, Mom." I said and she nodded.

"Jazz and I will go buy her a few things for her new room-she can have the spare one next to yours." She disappeared out the door. I turned to Sam and Dani, who was still clenching her fists. She slowly opened her fists and I reached over and grabbed them.

"How long are your nails?" I asked. All along her hand were cuts from where her nails had dug into her skin, staining her pale hands red. She shrugged and wiped the blood on her jeans.

"You're seriously letting me stay?" she asked, clearly shocked.

"You're practically family and I'm not letting you get captured again." I said seriously.

"I won't. I can leave and I'll be out of your hair and away from any ghost-napping lunatics."

"And where will you go?"

"Back to Australia. I've got a couple friends out there."

"You've been to Australia?" Sam looked at her in amazement.

"I've been everywhere." Dani's eyes lit up. "And I've got friends all over. Australia's where I go the longest, but Europe's one of my favorite places, too. Especially Venice Italy. It's wonderful there."

"Why Australia?" I asked.

"That's where my best friend is. His name's Evan. He's the one who gave me my coat. That's why it smells like cigarettes and gasoline."

"How old is Evan?" I asked, feeling suddenly and surprisingly protective.

"Fifteen, why?"

"And he's smoking?" Sam asked, a sour look on her face now as well.

"No, his dad does. So the cigarettes are from his dad and the gasoline's from the bike and car shop his brothers own, which he helps at." Dani said. Sam smiled at me.

"Sounds like someone has a crush on an Aussie." She said and I frowned.

"Are you suggesting I'm in love with Evan?" Dani looked up at her, amused.

"Sounds like you do." I said. She laughed. Sam and I looked at each other, confused.

"Are we missing something?" I asked.

"Evan has a boyfriend." Dani said in between fits of laughter.

"Oh." Sam said.

"But Evan's my best friend. Whenever I stayed at his house we'd stay up for hours talking and listening to music and watching movies. He got me into all the bands he likes and he taught me my love for musicals."

"Musicals?" I raised an eyebrow. She nodded.

"Yeah. We watch Sweeney Todd and The Rocky Horror Picture Show and Le Miserable all the time." she was actually cute when she talked about Evan. Her eyes lit up like fireworks and she got excited and animated. I couldn't help but smile.

"But seriously, you don't want me here. I'd just get in the way."

"Come on, Dani, you're not going back to Australia." Sam backed me up.

"But there's four Fenton's, and that's the perfect size for a family. Five's too large." Dani protested but I shook my head.

"There's two Phantoms, and they need to stick together." I said. She fell silent, and then nodded.

"You're right, damn you. I'll stay. But on one condition: you let me go back to see Evan whenever I want." I thought about it for a second.

"Only if you ask me first."

"Then it's a deal." She gave me a crooked grin. I rolled my eyes but smiled all the same.

"I guess this place is going to start getting even more chaotic." Sam sighed dramatically, running her fingers through Dani's tangled black hair. I watched my girlfriend and cousin, feeling my heart swell with love for them both. Because now I had them both, and there was nothing I wanted more.


	3. Chapter 3

Lost and Found

**Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom or the characters or Girl's Dead Monster! Here's the third chapter. I know I've been taking forever to update and I'm sooo sorry I would've finished sooner but I've been stuck at the doctor's a lot and I want to thank those of you readers who have waited patiently and read the entire story. I'm trying to make it better, I promise! Hope you guys enjoy!**

Chapter 3: I've decided to stop with chapter names cuz I've run out of chapter names

I wanted to pretend that since Dani had woken up and we had talked about her staying that she was fine, but she wasn't. She was still thin from days of starvation, she winced every time she moved her left arm, and she couldn't walk. After weeks of misuse, her legs wouldn't support her weight and every time she tried to walk, I had to either catch her as she fell or have her lean against me. She suffered from nightmares practically every night and so rarely got a good night's sleep. It had been six days since she had appeared and stayed with us, and she was still jumpy and nervous around anyone besides me and Sam. At the moment, I was holding Dani close to me, having just woken her up from another nightmare. I ran my fingers through her hair and she pressed herself against my chest. I rested my chin on the crown of her head.

"It's alright, Dani, it was just a dream." I mumbled sleepily. It was past 1 am and I was tired. She looked up at me with big blue eyes.

"Sorry, Danny. I'm keeping you awake again." She said quietly. I shook my head.

"It's fine. No need to apologize." I said. I stroked her cheek with my thumb and after a few minutes her stiff body relaxed against mine, and I could tell she was asleep. I sighed. I didn't really want to leave Dani, so I stayed with her the rest of the night, soothing her every time she had a nightmare. When it was finally morning, I heard Jazz's alarm clock go off, which meant it was six a.m. I opened my eyes and looked down at Dani, who was still sleeping next to me. I slowly stood up, careful not to wake her, and went downstairs to the kitchen. Jazz had her hair up in a towel and was in her bathrobe, so I knew she had just gotten out of the shower. She was at the stove scrambling some eggs and making bacon, so I sat at the counter.

"Morning Jazz." I yawned. She handed me a cup of coffee.

"Morning Danny." She sang, bright and happy as usual.

"How's Dani?" she asked as she returned to the breakfast she was making. I sipped my coffee.

"She's not doing very well." I admitted. Jazz pushed a plate of eggs, bacon, and toast in front of me.

"I'm sure it will take a little bit of time. It's only been a week today." She said encouragingly. I nodded and ate the toast. Unlike my dad, Jazz knew how to cook toast and hers wasn't dry or stale or burnt. After breakfast, I went and got dressed for the day. Slipping into Dani's room, I found her pulling on her trench coat.

"G'day Danny." She greeted.

"Glad to see you're up and moving." I smiled. After her coat was on, she began searching the pockets.

"Lose something?" I asked.

"No! I just…misplaced it." She said defensively and I laughed. She threw an eraser at my head and I turned intangible. She continued to search her pockets.

"Damn, I know I put it somewhere…ah there it is." She pulled an envelope out of a pocket and sat on the bed. Curious, I joined her.

"What's that?"

"A letter my friend Haruka and her brother Hayato gave me." she pulled the paper out and her eyes scanned it. Looking over her shoulder, all I found was a bunch of confusing symbols.

"What is that?"

"A letter."

"I knew that. What's it written in?"

"Kanji. Haruka and Hayato are Japanese and they taught me kanji, hiragana, and katakana so they could write to me. O and I can speak Japanese too." Dani explained with a shrug. My jaw dropped.

"You know Japanese?"

"Yep-yep. And French, Italian, Spanish, German, Russian, Irish, Scottish, and several others." She said calmly. I hung my head.

"What's wrong?" Dani asked.

"I barely know English." I whined. She laughed and ruffled my hair. I shooed her hands away.

"Anata no baka." She said happily. I frowned.

"What does that mean?" I demanded to know.

"It means you're an idiot, dear cousin." She smiled enchantingly. I couldn't help but smile. Hearing her speak Japanese, I noticed that she had many accents. Before she had a very slight Australian accent, but then her voice changed when she spoke the Japanese her voice changed. It was kind of cute. I chuckled and ran my fingers through her soft black hair. She smiled at me before glancing down at the letter again. Her eyes flicked over it and I could tell she was reading it. At some point a big lopsided grin found its way onto her face and when she was done she turned the envelope upside down. A silver necklace slipped into her hand. The medallion was stunning-a silver dragon curled around a blue gemstone.

"Hayato's a jewelry maker. He's real good at it. He designs personalized charms for every person-says the animal on their charms represent the form your soul takes." She explained. "According to the letter, the dragon represents protectiveness, stubbornness, and a big heart. The dragon will do whatever it can to help the ones it cares about but will not hesitate to destroy those who threaten their safety. Dragons are brave, cunning, and a little bit wicked. They are sometimes shy and easily annoyed, but they are completely loyal to their loved ones." She read from the letter then smiled at me.

"Looks like I got all your good qualities." She said and I couldn't help but smile in return.

"What else does the letter say?" I asked.

"Just that the business is doing well. And a few things a simple-minded kid like you wouldn't understand." She said. I rolled my eyes but didn't ask again. If she didn't want to tell me, I'm sure there was a reason. They were her friends, after all, not mine. She took the necklace and out it around her neck.

"He's really good at that." I said, seeing the craftsmanship put into the tiny dragon.

"He and Haruka search hard for these gems, too. And this is the only blue one they can find-the others are colorless." She rubbed her thumb over the stone.

"How long have you known them?" I asked. She shrugged.

"As long as I've known Evan, I guess." She grabbed her boots and pulled them on.

"And where do you think you're going?" I demanded. She shrugged.

"Out. And relax, would ya? I'm not leaving town-just going some places with Jazz and Sam." She said and I felt myself relax. Dani wasn't leaving. Not yet, anyway. She pulled an old silver pocket watch out of one of her many coat pockets.

"Damn, it's only 7:30? Ugh this is going to be a long day." She replaced the watch to her pocket.

"You have a lot of odd objects, don't you?" I asked. She shrugged.

"This is from Leo. He's the one who taught me French and he gave me the watch." She pulled it back out and clicked a button. The watch popped open. Words were carved on the inside.

"Tu me manques." I read and gave her a confused look. "What does that mean?"

"Here were say 'I miss you.' In France, this is like the same thing, except it really means 'you are missing from me'. Leo wrote it in there for me." she explained, running her finger over the carvings.

"It's so much prettier than just 'I miss you', isn't it? It's like whomever you're saying it to is part of you-the essence to your being. Like the person is part of your heart and soul. Like you can't function without them." She said. There was a knock on the door and Jazz and Sam poked their heads in.

"I thought I heard you were up, Dani. Now, we promised we'd get you some stuff as soon as you were up to it and we're here to keep that promise." Sam announced. I smiled as Dani joined my sister and girlfriend. Once the three of them were gone, I called Tuck and we hung out-getting rid of the Box Ghost and several other minor spirits and going to the Nasty Burger. Hours later when we got back to my house so we could play videogames, we found the girls coming in about the same time as us, carrying shopping bags. Along with that, Dani's long black hair had been cut short. So short it didn't even reach her shoulders any more. It was cute, I had to admit-it was choppy and jagged but in a cool almost anime way. Her bangs had been left long, so that it was shorter in the back than the front.

"G'day Tucker." Dani greeted, wide grin plastered to her face.

"Hey, Dani." Tuck responded. Sam came up to me and kissed my cheek.

"We got her some new clothes, but she still won't get rid of the trench coat." She said and I rolled my eyes.

"I'm not surprised." I said. Sam gave one of her adorable giggles.

"Neither am I. She does have your stubbornness, after all." She said and I smiled down at her. I couldn't believe it taken me so long to realize I loved her. Her hair, her eyes, her smile, her many laughs, everything about her just seemed perfect to me. I brushed her hair behind her ear. She blushed lightly and I chuckled.

"We'll be inside if you need us." Jazz said and ushered Dani and Tuck inside. Dani winked at me before she disappeared inside, closing the door behind her.

"I wish I could stay, but my mother's making me go to some girly tea party or something torturous like that." She sighed.

"Then I'll see you tomorrow?" I asked hopefully. She nodded.

"Definitely." And then her sweet, perfect lips were pressed against mine in a warm kiss.

"Tu me manques." I murmured in her ear.

"What? Is that Italian or something?" she asked, looking puzzled. I shook my head.

"French." I corrected.

"Where'd you learn French?"

"From Dani."

"Then what does it mean?" she asked and I smiled.

"I'll tell you some other time." I chuckled when she gave an adorable pout that looked suspiciously like Dani's.

"I see my cousin's been teaching you some new tricks as well." I said and she shrugged.

"She's done that several times today. Got whatever she wanted out of the guys in the store." She said and I frowned.

"O don't go into protective big brother mode. It was funny to watch her flirt with them. We got great deals." She said and I kissed her again.

"Tomorrow, ok?" I smiled gently, staring into her eyes.

"Tomorrow. Love you Danny." She smiled.

"Love you Sam." I responded and she left. I watched her go and didn't go inside until she was out of sight. Dani and Tuck were sitting at the bar, talking and eating the snacks Jazz had put out.

"Hey lover boy." Tuck called when I entered.

"I can't wait till you get a girlfriend so I can call you stupid names." I sat in between the two.

"Hey would you rather be called lover boy or ghost boy?" Dani asked. I sighed.

"How bout my name? I would love to be called that."

"That's no fun. I have nicknames, so you have to have nicknames. Besides, we'll get confused if we both go by Danny." Dani pointed out.

"Hey, Danny, I need your help down here for a second." My mom's voice drifted up to us.

"Coming!" both of us called.

"It's like nature just wants to prove her right." Tuck said. Dani looked at me.

"I'm guessing she wanted you." she said. I sighed.

"Probably. I'll be right back, ok, Bunny?" I ruffled her short hair before going down into the basement where my parents were waiting.

"Danny, sweetie, we wanted your help on some things concerning Danielle." My mom smiled at me.

"What kind of things?" I asked and my dad looked up from the newest weapon he was making.

"Well first off we wanted to know what kind of powers she has…" he said but shut up when Mom gave her one of her death glares.

"Actually, we wanted to know if you think she'd be ok with starting school." She said sweetly.

"Um…I don't know if that's the best idea. Dani gets kind of cold and bitchy when she doesn't feel comfortable…" I rubbed the back of my head nervously.

"O don't be silly Danny. I'm sure she'll be just fine." She said and went to help Dad.

"Then why'd you ask my opinion?" I grumbled. But they both ignored me, so I sighed and went back upstairs.

"What'd your parents want?" Tuck asked.

"O um…they wanted me to talk to Dani about her joining school…" I said and Dani instantly changed. Her relaxed posture instantly stiffened and her warm and welcoming eyes tuned cold and forbidding.

"There is no way in fucking hell I am joining a goddamn middle school." She said and I frowned.

"Watch your language. You're still only fourteen, you know." I scolded. She narrowed her eyes.

"I swear if you send me to that hell hold you'll find the heads of cheerleaders decorating my walls and you'll have a psychotic still only 14-year-old murderer on your hands. I swear, that's how it'll happen." She warned and Tuck and I stared at her in shock.

"Dude, I think she's serious." Tuck said nervously.

"I do too." I admitted. She grinned almost wickedly.

"Actually, I've changed my mind. I won't murder them-I'll let them live. But, if I go to school and in three months still don't enjoy it, I can leave." She said.

"Alright. If you don't like school in three months, you can drop out."

"No. Not drop out, leave, as in, go back to Australia leave."

"No way. Last time that happened you got caught. What happens if Vlad comes after you again, or the Guys in White?" I crossed my arms.

"She's got a point, Dani." Tuck piped up.

"I don't really care. I have no intentions of going to school but I'm going because you asked, so you're going to let me leave because I asked you to." She said matter-of-factly. Tuck looked between us before standing.

"I'll see you two tomorrow." He said and quickly left. I sighed.

"Mom, Dad, Dani and I will be back in a while!" I called and Dani gave me a puzzled look. I grabbed her hand and led her out to my midnight blue sports car. It had been a gift for my sixteenth birthday, and I really hadn't been expecting it considering we weren't exactly rich. I silently slid into the driver's seat and she followed my lead, sitting next to me.

"I'm sorry. I know you're just trying to help, but I don't like feeling stuck in one place." She mumbled apologetically.

"No need to apologize." I said as I started the engine. "I was honestly surprised I got that calm of a reaction out of you. Like I told Mom, I know you get defensive when you feel trapped."

"I've only been to school once, in Australia with Evan and Pezz. It was terrible. A bunch of cheerleaders made fun of them for being gay, and I ended up being expelled on my first day." She pulled her knees up to her chest.

"What'd you do?" I asked, curious.

"Took the bitch's face, shoved it into the brick wall, and slid it from one end to the other. There was a trail of blood left and some of the kids threw up all over the place." She chuckled. I glanced at her.

"Where are we going?" she asked suddenly. I shrugged-I honestly just wanted to get out of the house.

"Then I guess it's a good thing I enjoy car rides." She said with a small smile. She pulled a purple I-pod out of her pocket.

"Mind if I plug this in? And don't worry, I'll find songs you'd approve of." She went through her music, finally finding one she thought I'd like.

"What song is this?" I asked.

"It's Japanese. _My Song_ from Girl's Dead Monster." She said.

"Smart. Find a song I don't understand the lyrics to." I flashed her a smile. I drove for hours, until it was dark and Dani was sleeping with her forehead pressed to the glass window. When I pulled back in front of the house, I carried Dani up to her room and lay her down on the bed. I kissed her forehead before quietly leaving the room. And that was the first night I didn't hear Dani screaming from nightmares.


	4. Chapter 4

Lost and Found

**Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom or the characters! Here's the fourth chapter. I have no idea who the principal is in the show, so I made her up in this one. Melbourne High School, however, is a real high school in Australia. The choir names I put on are, to my logic, non-existent but if a choir somewhere in the world has the same name, I swear it's a coincidence and I didn't mean to steal the choir's name. I'm really sorry it took me so long to write but I've finally finished. Hope you guys enjoy!**

Chapter 4

I drove Dani to the Junior High the next day.

"I can't believe I agreed to this." she grumbled. I shrugged.

"But you did, so you can't back out now." I pointed out. She fiddled with her dragon necklace nervously.

"This is not a good idea. I'm a lot more hot-headed than you. Who knows what kind of trouble I'll get into?" she absently pulled on her rat tail.

"Relax, would you? Just don't kill anybody and you'll be fine." I said.

"That's easier said than done." She slid down lower in the seat. I stopped in front of the school and we climbed out. I led her to the principal's office and we went inside.

"How may I help you, Danny?" the principal, Mrs. Robinson smiled at me.

"Yes. I'd like to enroll my cousin Danielle in school." I nudged Dani forward. She had gone stiff again and her face was completely emotionless.

"Hello, Danielle." Mrs. Robinson smiled at her.

"G'day." Dani replied.

"So how old are you, Danielle?"

"Fourteen."

"And what was the last school you went to?"

"Melbourne High School in Australia."

"All the way in Australia? And how long did you stay there?"

"I was just visiting for the day. My friend goes there and I stayed with him for a day. So technically I've never been in school before."

"So were you homeschooled?"

"Yep-yep. And I've traveled a lot so I know all the different cultures."

"That's fantastic, Danielle. So where are your parents?" Dani glanced at me.

"Um…her parents are archeologists and they dropped her off at my house a while back saying she needed to stay with us for a while." I explained.

"O so have you been digging with your parents?"

"Yes."

"That must've been exciting." Mrs. Robinson shuffled through some drawers and pulled out some papers. "Here are the papers you need to go through. And there's a list of the electives, pick whichever one you like. You two can just sit here and fill it out and hand it to the secretary when you're done." She handed me the papers and a pen and Dani and I sat down and went through them.

"What are electives?" she looked over my shoulder curiously.

"Electives are the classes you get to pick, like an extra class. I did wood and metal shop and it was fun. We got to play with saws and blades and make stuff." I explained. Her eyes lit up like fireworks.

"They have a choir?"

"Yeah. They're pretty good. They had four competitions my last year here and they won first in all of them." The Casper's choir was large, with four choirs at the high school and one at the junior high. The junior high's was called the Chamber Spirits (a ghost based name, thanks to all the ghost attacks), while the high school had four different levels. The all boys' choir was called the Ghost Riders (actually named for a song by Johnny Cash, not the comic hero. I know, I was disappointed, too) and there were two all girls' choirs. The lower choir (the one anybody who auditioned could get into) was called Sparkling Diamonds (apparently named after the famous song "Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend", according to Jazz), and the higher level choir (the one that was hard to get into) was called Razzle Dazzle (after another famous song, from the famous musical Chicago, or so Jazz says). And the absolute highest choir, a boys' and girls' choir, like the Chamber Spirits, was Masquerade (a famous song from Phantom of the Opera. Shockingly, Jazz is the one who gave me the information).

"Please can I join? I swear I won't kill anybody and I'll be good and I won't bitch and I'll try really hard." She gave me her cutest puppy dog look.

"If you're sure you wanna join, go ahead. But it's an all-year elective, and you better not quit in the middle of the year."

"I won't." she promised. I wrote that down as her elective and finished the rest of the papers. Without even thinking, I put down my name as her guardian so if anything happened the school would call me. As an emergency contact if I didn't answer I put down Jazz's name, but only because she was more likely to pick up the phone than my parents. When that was done, I handed all the documents to the secretary.

"Thank you for enrolling in Casper Junior High, she'll be starting school next week to give you some time to get everything you need and to allow us to get her schedule for her." She said in a bored tone and waved us away. As we got back in the car, I couldn't help but wonder why Dani-strong, hard-headed Dani-chose choir as her elective, of all things. I asked her about it and she shrugged.

"Some stuck up bitch in France thought she was a better singer than my friend Cheri, so we challenged her and her friend to a sing off and I really enjoyed myself. And I know tons of different kinds of music and I can sing soprano and alto, so I figured choir would be just as fun as it was in France. And I like to dance, so that's an added bonus."

"So you sing and dance?"

"Yep-yep."

"Any other hidden talents I should know about?"

"I can kill a man with my mind." She said sarcastically. I chuckled. That week went by really fast. Dani somehow managed to get everything she needed without even asking for money, and Sam, Tuck, and I joked about how she must've robbed a bank. When it was finally time for her to start school, she was cold and distant. Mom and Dad tried to encourage her, but she just said something in what sounded like German. After that, no one tried to talk to her, not even Jazz. When I drove her to school, she said nothing.

"Relax, would you? You're stiff as a board." I glanced at her sideways.

"Easy for you to say, cher frère, you've done this tons of times." She objected, slipping the French words and accent into her sentence without seeming to realize it.

"What does cher frère mean?" I asked and she looked surprised.

"Where'd you here that from?"

"You just said it. Seriously, Dani, do you listen to yourself speak?"

"I didn't mean to say it in French…"

"Well what did you say?"

"Never mind. It's probably better that you didn't understand it anyway." At that moment, I stopped next to the school. Dani grabbed her bag. Right before she left, she said something so quietly I almost couldn't hear her, and then I wasn't sure if I'd heard her right.

_Cher frère means dear brother._ Dani's voice whispered in my head. Dear brother? Was that what Dani thought of me as? Her brother? I thought about her words all through the drive to my school, and until lunch.

"Danny, you ok? You've been kinda out of it today." Sam's eyes searched my face questioningly.

"I'm fine, Sam, just worried about Dani." I assured her. She rested her head on my shoulder.

"She'll be fine, Danny. She's tough."

"I know. But she already told me she didn't do well at the school in Australia."

"I'm not surprised. That was her first experience at school in her entire life, Danny. Of course she'd be nervous and act out a little."

"She shoved some girl's face in the brick wall and dragged it from one end to the other, Sam. That's more than just acting out a bit." I sighed. Sam tried to suppress her giggles but couldn't.

"She dragged a girl's face across a brick wall? I'd love to see you do that. Apparently she inherited the evil side of you."

"It's not funny, Sam. What if she got upset and accidentally sets off her ghost powers?"

"Danny, relax. It's going to be fine. I'm sure Dani knows to be careful-she's been traveling the world and there hasn't been any breaking news about a ghost girl in New York, has there?"

"Well, no, but…"

"No buts. Listen to me. Everything's going to be fine. She and I talked a few days ago and she told me she was ecstatic to join choir. She even said that she hoped to get a solo so you'd be proud of her."

"Really?"

"Yes! She admires you, Danny. And I think she'll work hard at school because you asked her to." Sam's warmth and calm spreads through me and all of a sudden I'm not worried about Dani anymore. I wrap my arms around Sam and just hold her there, breathing in her smell. She smells like the earth, oddly enough. Jazz always said Sam had Earth magic in her, but I never really knew what she meant until I started spending time with her and her alone, not her and Tucker. Sam is always rooted and steady, never panicky or hunched. Sam reminds me of a tree, standing tall and firm and always fighting the wind, never bending to its will. But whether she has Earth magic or not, she has some kind of magic. Or at least something that makes her magical.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Sam's voice jolts me out of my thoughts.

"I was just thinking about how much I love you." I rested my head on hers. The bell for the end of lunch rang and I sighed. We both stood and she kissed my cheek.

"See you later, ok?" she said and headed off to her class. I went to mine and sat through the rest of the day, not finding myself able to fully concentrate. Part of my mind was wandering about Dani. I was no longer worried about her getting in trouble, but I was worried about her leaving.

_If I go for three months and still don't like it, I get to leave. Not drop out, leave, back to Australia…_

And Evan. She didn't say it, but I know the thought was there. _Cher frère._ Did she ever call Evan that? It's stupid of me to be jealous of someone I haven't even met, but I am. The first thing that pops into Dani's mind is Australia and Evan. The bell rings and I walk to my last class of the day. What's Evan even like? He must be something special, if Dani likes him so much. Dani doesn't take bullshit from _anyone_ and she's not exactly the friendliest person I know. So Evan must be different. His boyfriend, too. Pezz, she called him? Evan and Pezz…I wondered what Pezz's real name was. Suddenly I'm afraid that she will leave and go back to Australia, and that she'll get caught again.

_Relax, Danny, everything's going to be alright._ This time Sam's voice is replaying in my head, and our conversation at lunch. _She admires you. She'll try hard because she asked her to. She wants to get a solo so you'll be proud of her._ No. Dani won't leave. Sam's right. In three months, Dani will still be here, thinking of Australia, and Evan, and maybe other people she knows from all over the world, but she'll be here. She'll be in Amity Park. She'll be with me. Sam's calmness once again washes over me and I find myself able to relax and not worry. Dani's not going anywhere. I'm not losing her again. Once school's over, I walk to my locker and grab what I need, then go to Sam's. She has her back to me, going through her locker and grabbing what she needs. I come up behind her and wrap my arms around her waist, resting my head on her shoulder. She looks at me and smiles.

"What time does Dani get out?" she asks. Her Earth magic seems strong today, and I can smell it on her clothes. Earth and vanilla. The two scents mix into one and make a perfectly pair. Odd, yes, but it's almost as if they're just made to go together. Like me and Sam.

"She gets out about now." I said.

"Then you'd better get going to pick her up. You know there's an ungodly amount of brick walls at that school, and plenty of students who could be smashed against them." She says teasingly. I grin.

"Yeah, I suppose you're right." I say and kiss her before getting ready to go.

"You'll come by later, right?" I ask. She nods.

"Right after I help my mom with some things and finish homework." She promises. I smile.

"Tu me marquis." I say to her, softly. I've been saying it to her ever since Dani told me what it meant, but I still haven't told her its meaning. It's almost like a tradition between us now. She smiles.

"I'll see you later." She says and we go our separate ways. I drive to Dani's school, which is only a few minutes from mine. When I get there, Dani is perched up on a concrete wall, listening to what some girl has to say. She looks up and sees me. she quickly says goodbye to the girl and hops down from her perch. Now that the trench coat isn't there (we convinced her not to wear it to school), I notice several things I didn't when she wore that damned coat. I didn't notice the way her hair bounced against her shoulders, or the way she swung her hips ever so slightly when she walked. She walks casually, like she's relaxed and doesn't have a care in the world. With the trench coat on, it practically hid all her movements. You couldn't see the calmness in her movements, or the way her right hand tapped against her leg in a rhythm. You also couldn't see the shape of her body. Several boys turned to stare as she walked by, and I felt like walking up and punching them. She was fit, anyone could see that. The tee shirt she was wearing made that clear. Her waist was tiny and her stomach was close to being flat. She has the figure you would see on a cheerleader, honestly. But I couldn't imagine Dani being a cheerleader. She reminded me more of that person who'd just yell insults and tell you to try harder. I couldn't help but smile when I thought of her as a cheerleader.

"What are you laughing about?" she asked as she slid into the seat next to me.

"Just thinking about you on the cheer squad, is all."

"Me, a cheerleader? Please. I'd be yelling at them to get their asses moving before I shove my foot up it." She said and I couldn't help it. I laughed.

"I could see you going that." I turned on the car and drove home.

"How was school?"

"Alright, I guess."

"Who was the girl you were talking to?"

"That was Eris. She's a cheerleader and is in four of my six classes."

"Do you like her?"

"She's not too bad. I liked her and Isabelle more than most of the other kids."

"Who's Isabelle?"

"She's in choir with me. She's a soprano."

"Hate to break it to ya, but I don't know what that means." I was stupid when it came to music. I didn't even know what the scales were…

"Soprano means you sing high. Alto means you sing low. Baritones are usually the males." Dani explained, eyes gleaming with amusement.

"Seems like you're hopeless when it comes to music, cher frère." She said teasingly.

"Why do you think I did wood and metal shop? It's 100 times easier for me to remember. All you need to know is where not to put your fingers." I replied.

"I think I got a lot of your old teachers. All of them but one commented on how much I look like you."

"What teachers?"

"Mrs. Smith for science, Coach Miller for P.E., Mr. Wes for history, Mrs. Russell for math, my choir director is Mr. Doug and our choreographer is Dante, and Mrs. Overland teaches language arts." Dani listed all of her teachers. I smiled.

"I had every single one of those teachers except the choir ones." I said.

"I think Mr. Wes is my favorite." She said after a few moments of silence. "Well, I suppose he and Mr. Doug and Dante are all tied for first." She added after some thought. I smiled. Mr. Wes had been my favorite teacher, too. He made history fun.

"Just wait till he gets to know you. I was one of his favorite students so he had a special nickname for me and even put my name on some of his tests." Mr. Wes gave all his special students nicknames and used them as examples. When he was teaching us about Joan of Arc, he actually brought real iron handcuffs to class and put Sam in them and called her Joan to show how they kept her locked up in the prison.

"I said I look a lot like you. Even told me he used to call you Cockroach, though he didn't say why." She said and I laughed. In his class we got to choose our seats, so I was always next to Sam and Tucker, and we were horrible. When Sam and Tucker were both absent because they got sick, Mr. Wes said I was like a cockroach because they can survive nuclear blasts. And since then he always called me that. It even got to the point where I wrote Daniel Cockroach Fenton on my papers for his class. I pulled up in front of the house and we both climbed out.

"I guess school wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Thanks for making me go, cher frère." She grinned before disappearing in her room. I rolled my eyes but smiled all the same. Honestly, I enjoyed being Dani's 'cher frère.' And I enjoyed being able to think of her as my sister as well. Dani, my dear little sister, finally had a home, and it just happened to be with me.

**Author's note: sorry for the lame ending but I wasn't sure how to end it so there it is. And since it took me so long to update I've decided I'd let my readers ask for requests, but only for two weeks. After two weeks I won't be taking any more requests. And not all requests will be taken, but I'll try my hardest. So if you want any other Danny Phantom fics, or anything else, just message me and I'll try my hardest to get those done. Feel free to give me a plot or just the characters and name of the TV show, movie, book, comic, whatever it is you want me to write and I'll make my own plot. Hopefully I'll be able to make a decent story, and I apologize ahead of time if I don't live up to your standards. Anyway, I hope some of you guys tell me what you want me to write for you. Thanks for reading! -PrettyLittleWreck **


	5. Chapter 5

Lost and Found

**Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom or the characters or any of the movies listed! Here's the fifth chapter. I tried to update it sooner this time. I hope you all enjoy!**

Chapter 5

About a week after Dani's first day of school, Dani brought Eris back to our house. As I came to pick Dani up to school, I could see Eris and her talking. At first I thought they were fighting, and then I saw Dani roll her eyes and grab Eris's backpack.

"Do you mind if Eris comes over? Her parents are out of town and her brother can't pick her up till six." Dani asked. Eris looked as if she was about to protest, but I smiled at her before she could say anything.

"Sure. Get in." I said and Dani tossed her bag in the back.

"Are you sure? I don't want to bother you…" for a cheerleader, Eris seemed unsure of herself. Most of the cheerleaders I'd met were bossy and mean.

"Relax, kiddo, you're no bother." I assured her. Eris was stunning; with bright blonde hair braided down her back with fake gems laced into the braid. Her eyes were a warm brown, the color of melted chocolate.

"My brother Mal will pick me up as soon as his choir practice is done at six." Eris said.

"I didn't know Mal was in Ghost Riders."

"He's in Ghost Riders _and_ Masquerade." Eris beamed proudly.

"I've never heard him sing before." Dani said thoughtfully.

"He's really good. And he's one of the stronger boys so whenever one of the girls needs to be lifted, he's the one who does it." We drove most of the way in silence. I pulled in front of the house and we climbed out. Dani and Eris sat at the bar while I rummaged through the kitchen.

"You two hungry?" I asked.

"Yeah, sure." Dani replied.

"You ok with strawberries and cream, Eris?" I asked. I knew Dani liked strawberries as much as I did, but I wasn't sure if Eris did. Eris seemed to instantly perk up, like a puppy that was offered a walk.

"That's perfect. I love strawberries." She said happily. I smiled as I made one giant bowl of strawberries before drowning them in whipped cream. I set the bowl on the counter and the three of us shared them.

"So where are your parents, anyway?" Dani turned to Eris.

"Um…I'm honestly not sure. They travel a lot."

"Have you and Mal ever gone with them?"

"They took me to New Orleans, and Hawaii. But other than that, no. Once Mal turned sixteen, they started leaving more." She twirled a loose strand of hair around her finger.

"Dani says you cheer. What position are you?" I asked, biting into a juicy strawberry.

"I'm the captain." Eris said happily. I was impressed. Usually the cheerleaders had the older girls-the eighth graders- become captain. And even then, they usually chose the younger sisters of other captains.

"Eris is the most graceful girl in the squad." Dani said, casually draping an arm around Eris's shoulder. Eris blushed, but I could tell she was still pleased with the compliment.

"That's not true. Besides, part of that is because I took ballet for five years, gymnastics for two, and I still do karate."

"What color belt are you?" I asked.

"I'm a brown belt. But I don't go to those dojos in the parking lots of super markets-my dojo's an actual dojo. Sensei Takahiro, the one who owns the dojo, is actually from Japan. His family has owned the dojo for twenty-five years. My teacher is Sensei Sakura, his daughter."

"You two and your 'let's do this and this and ooh that looks like fun' while I've never even been paint balling." I complained. Dani and Eris both laughed. The front door opened.

"Honey I'm home!" Tuck's voice shouted.

"And we brought movies full of sex and violence in case you're bored. And after that we can go possess small children to build up our demon army to take over the world." Sam added, coming in and smirking while hopping up on the counter.

"See, Eris, you could act more like them. No need to be shy in this house." I teased softly. Eris was like the complete opposite of Sam and Tucker, who just barged in whenever they wanted.

"Who's the cute blonde? Should I be worried?" Sam raised an eyebrow and I laughed before pressing my lips to her forehead.

"You've got no competition, I promise. Eris here is a friend of Dani's from school."

"So you've made friends with the psychopathic fourteen-year-old murderer. I'd watch your back if I were you." Tuck told Eris, who laughed when Dani glanced innocently at Tuck.

"If you blow my cover I'll have to kill you. I've been able to hide from the FBI for a while, and if I get caught because of you, you'll pay." Dani said in her sweetest, most enchanting voice she could manage. Everyone laughed, Eris's bell-like laughter joining in.

"So, Eris, what's your elective?" Sam asked, swinging her legs like a child from her spot on the counter top.

"I'm the captain of the cheer squad." Eris smiled happily.

"How'd you manage that? It's hard to be a captain." Tuck asked.

"Well she's done ballet, gymnastics, and is a brown belt in karate." I said.

"Jeez don't try to sound so bitter about it." Sam bumped me with her shoulder.

"So what movies did you bring over, Sam?" Dani asked.

"Only the best ones. I've got Nightmare on Elm Street, Halloween, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Pet Sematary, It, and Labyrinth." Sam said, pulling all the movies out of her backpack and setting them on the counter.

"O my god you're amazing. Danny, this one's a keeper." Dani said, looking through the movies.

"Don't I know it." I murmured, causing Sam to blush.

"Why don't we watch a movie while we do homework?" Tuck suggested. Everyone groaned. Only Tuck would thing about homework. The thought hadn't even crossed my mind until he mentioned it.

"I guess that works." I said finally and we all moved to the living room.

"What movie are we watching?" Sam asked.

"What about Nightmare on Elm Street? I'm not really in the mood for a musical and It freaks me out."

"There are others that aren't musicals." Sam pointed out.

"Yeah but Eris wouldn't like Pet Sematary because she's an animal freak and I can reenact Halloween I've seen it so many times."

"So Eris can't watch animals get killed?" I asked, turning to her. She shook her head.

"Nope. I won't even watch the Lion King because they kill Scar and Mufasa." She said and I couldn't help but laugh.

"I like animals, but not enough to not watch Lion King." Sam curled up next to me and I wrapped my arm around her, resting my head on hers. She put her head on my shoulder. Eris whispered something in Dani's ear, causing her to snicker. Sam and I shot them looks and they shut up. As the movie played everyone fell silent, half paying attention to the movie and half paying attention to the homework we were trying to work on. Key word 'trying'. Honestly, I just put down random answers without even fully reading the questions. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Eris jump when something from the movie startled her.

"Don't like horror movies, Eris?" I asked.

"Oh, no, I like horror movies as long as they're not overly bloody. I can watch stuff like this, as long as there's not too much gore. I saw that new Evil Dead movie in theatres, and it freaked me out." she shivered.

"I wanted to see that! Was it good?" Sam asked excitedly.

"The first was better. The book looked amazing though! It was covered in human skin and had warnings written in blood. It's just that there's way too much blood. I was watching it and there were some parts I just couldn't watch."

"Did it end the same?"

"No, the ending was horrible. They made it way too cheesy. And there was a survivor, which just ruined it. But there were some good parts." Eris shrugged.

"I've never even seen Evil Dead." Tuck said.

"Neither have I." I said and all the girls gave us looks.

"I can't believe you've never seen Evil Dead. How can you not have seen that movie?" Dani demanded to know. I shrugged.

"I don't really watch movies that often."

"At least he reads comics. So he's not a total failure." Dani poked me in the rib and I glared at her.

"What comics do you read?" Eris asked.

"Mostly Marvel." I responded.

"Mal does, too. He has a special edition X-Men and everything."

"The X-Men were probably one of my favorites."

"I like Rogue. She's sexy." Dani piped up.

"Wow, I never realized you were a comic geek, Dani. You're even crushing on fictional characters." Eris teased. Dani shrugged.

"I'm probably as bad as Danny. And Rogue is my girl, baby. I got dibs on her." She stuck her tongue out at Eris.

"That's not how dibs works!" Tucker objected.

"Oh?" Dani raised an eyebrow.

"Girls don't get dibs on girls."

"That's not fair, because some of those girls are hot." Sam said.

"If you're dating girls on the side, this relationship isn't going to work." I told her, playfully pulling her hair. Sam grinned.

"So you never had a crush on Mystique or Storm?"

"Mystique, not so much. Storm, definitely." I answered.

"Exactly. So it's perfectly normal for me and Dani to admire the way the characters look, even if they're female." Sam ran her fingers through my hair.

"You're still the most beautiful girl I've seen." I said, kissing her. Tuck, Eris, and Dani all groaned.

"Get a room, you two." Tucker complained. Sam threw one of the couch pillows at him. He was slow to react and it hit him straight in the face, knocking him on his back and causing his glasses to fly off. A loud part of the movie made everyone jump. Honestly, I forgot it was even on.

"Hey, Danny, do you get the history homework?" Tucker asked. I sighed. Tucker was, once again, the only one to worry about school.

"Just make something up. You know he never reads it anyway." I said.

"Does that mean I can bullshit my assignments?" Dani asked.

"No. if you get below a C, you're in big trouble." I replied, pulling out my history homework. Dani rolled her eyes but didn't argue.

"You used to get D's, Danny. And I remember one F in math." Sam said.

"That's different. Lancer hated me."

"That's a lame excuse." Eris flashed a brilliant smile.

"It is true, though. Danny was Lancer's least favorite student." Tucker pointed out.

"I wouldn't say least favorite. Just one of the ones he never got along with." Sam objected. I rolled my eyes and blocked out their conversation, trying to focus on my work. Of course all the sounds distracted me so I was sure most of the answers were wrong, but I didn't really care. By now the movie was over. I glanced at Dani, who was bent over her work, short hair tucked behind her ear. She tapped her pencil against her knee, making a rhythm out of it. She looked bored, like whatever work she had was too easy for her. She looked up when Eris called, the tiniest of smiles dancing on her lips. Eris was asking about homework, and Dani gave her the answer with no problem. She glanced at me and grinned like a trickster about to play their trick. Then she whispered something to Eris. The blonde nodded and smiled, though it was obvious she was trying not to. I shook my head and turned away from them and to my homework. It was probably best not to know what they were planning. As we continued to do our work and have conversations on the side, time flew by like a plane. Before I knew it, it was six o clock and there was a polite knock on the door. Sam and Tuck looked surprised.

"People actually _knock_ on your door before they enter?" Sam asked, pretending to be shocked.

"What kind of uncivilized world do we live in?" Tuck demanded to know. I rolled my eyes.

"Not everyone's obnoxious as you two." I said as I stood to enter the door. I already had a feeling it was Mal coming to get Eris, so i wasn't surprised to see a tall high school boy standing outside me door. What was surprising, however, was to see how he was the complete opposite of his younger sister.

"Hey, I'm Mal. I came to pick up Eris, is she here?" Mal's skin was a golden tan so his white teeth stood out when he smiled. His dark brown hair was long and pulled into a low ponytail-like Dani's-that hung just below his waist. He looked more like a football player than a singer with his height and strong build-you could see the muscles clearly even through his shirt. I led him inside. Eris jumped up and smiled happily when she saw him.

"How was practice?" She asked. When she was standing next to Mal, I realized just how small Eris was. Or maybe Mal was just that big. Either way, Eris didn't even reach Mal's shoulder when she stood next to him.

"Thanks for letting her stay over-I don't know how you can stand her for so long, but I really appreciate it." Mal said, smiling brightly. He and Eris had that in common, if nothing else. And they had the same sparkle in their eyes, even though Mal's were dark blue instead of brown.

"See you tomorrow, Blondie." Dani said, pulling on Eris's golden braid.

"See you then, Puddin'." Eris grinned and Dani frowned, clearly annoyed with the nickname. As soon as Eris and Mal had left, we just had to question her about it.

"Pudding?" Tuck asked, trying not to laugh.

"It's what Harley Quinn calls the Joker. And since I was wearing a black tank top and red jeans, Eris and some of the others decided to start calling me Pudding." Dani shrugged. Tucker burst into a fit of (manly) giggles and Dani glared daggers at his head. She plopped down on the couch next to Sam, who wrapped her arms around the younger girl.

"I think it's a cute nickname. Because Harley used it as a term of endearment toward Joker. And besides, our little Dani here is insane enough to be the Joker."

"She's probably killed just as many people, too." Tuck added.

"That is so not true! Joker's got nothin on me-I can murder a man and make it look like an accident!" Dani made a face at Tuck. Tuck looked at his watch and sighed.

"I've gotta go, guys. My mom will freak if I miss dinner." He said gathering his stuff and leaving. Sam stood to go as well. I followed her to the door.

"Would you like me to escort you home?" I asked, grabbing her by the hips and pulling her close to me. She smiled.

"That sounds great, Prince Charming." She said. Sam's house was close enough that we could walk, and it was a nice night to walk, anyway. I wrapped my arms around her waist, pulling her against my side as we walked. When we reached her house and stopped on her porch.

"Goodnight." She said.

"Night." I pressed my lips against hers. As we stood there kissing each other, the front door opened to reveal her frowning parents. We jumped apart.

"Good evening, Daniel. Would you like to come in?" Mrs. Manson asked, though she looked like if I entered she'd stab me repeatedly in the head.

"No thanks, Mrs. Manson, I was just leaving." I replied. She looked relieved.

"Tu me marquis." I murmured in her ear before leaving, feeling Sam's parents glare after me even as I left. Once I returned home, I found Dani curled up on the couch with her binder set on her lap. Her pencil moved across the paper in quick, feverish movements. I sat next to her. She set her work on the floor and curled up next to me, resting her head on my shoulder.

"You enjoying school, Bunny?" I asked. She shrugged.

"Honestly, it's boring. I don't have to think about any problem they give me." she said. I chuckled.

"Smart ass." I mumbled. She laughed.

"I thought cussing was bad."

"It is because you're just a little kid. I, on the other hand, am a mature almost adult." I told her. She giggled childishly, wrapping her arms around my chest.

"Thank you, Danny. For letting me stay here, for making me part of your family, for everything. I really appreciate it." She said sincerely.

"You were always part of my family, Bunny." I responded. She laughed almost bitterly.

"But I'm not, am I. Hell, Danny, I'm not even human. I'm just a science experiment." She said, trying to pull away. But I held her tight.

"You're so much more than that, Dani. You're an amazing, talented, lovely person who I'll protect with my life." I said seriously. She fell silent. I traced my index finger up the bridge of her nose and smoothed her brow. She relaxed against me, closing her eyes and moving so that her head was tucked under my chin. I smiled to myself, holding my little sister close to me. I stayed there long after she fell asleep, feeling her warm body pressed against mine but painfully aware of the fact that I couldn't feel a pulse or hear her heartbeat.


End file.
